A Report on Genetic Male Sterility in Uraria picta (Jacq.) DC.

Abstract

Summary A male sterile-female fertile mutant of Uraria picta (Jacq.) DC. (Family-Leguminosae, Papillionoidae), possessing dwarf habit, normal chromosome behaviour at meiosis and 100.0% sterile pollen grains (1.00% EMS, 6 h; 0.16% over the M 2 mutant population), was identified and it segregated into 4 normal and 3 mutant plants at M 3 (70 seeds sown, 11 plants germinated, but 7 survived till maturity). Out of 3 mutants, 1 plant showed abnormal meiosis, 100.0% sterile pollen grains with size variations and in some cases pollen grain agglutination, and the other 2 plants instead showed normal meiosis and 100.0% sterile pollen grains; these were designated as MS 1 and MS 2 respectively. Meiotic chromosome analysis and studies of pollen grains (pollen viability tests: Lugol's Iodine, Aniline blue, x-gal, Amido black, TTC, Neutral red and Methylene blue; DAPI staining for pollen nuclei; SEM analysis) in relation to untreated control revealed possible differential gene behaviour in MS 1 (evident in microsporogenesis as well as microgametogenesis) and MS 2 (microsporogenesis only). Male sterility is a non-structural nuclear type (monogenic recessive-ms 1 ms 1 ) and is being reported for first time in the species.Key words Uraria picta, Male sterility, Pollen viability staining, DAPI, SEM analysis, Differential gene action.Genetically controlled male sterile-female fertile plants, natural or induced, are widely reported in different plant species stating their implications for efficient breeding and crop improvement. Further, such plant types, depending upon their crossability, would be useful for the conservation of desirable gene(s). Genetic male sterility arising as the consequence of mutation was reviewed in angiosperms and it was reported that the male sterile lines of different plant species, though morphologically non-differential to wild, formed totally sterile pollen grains due to the action of genes at pre-meiotic, meiotic or post-meiotic stages (Gottschalk and Kaul 1974, Skibbe et al. 2002). Daskalov et al. (2007) reported sporogenous male sterility in tomato and pepper and the mutants deviate from wild genotype in the absence of fertile pollen grains, and pollen abortion or breakdown was due to gene action controlling meiosis. The uniqueness of meiosis is that it is genetically programmed by a set of gene(s) which are sex-, time-, site-and stage-specific (Graybosch and Palmer 1988, Kaul 1988, Skorupska and Palmer 1990, Twell et al. 1991, Nirmala and Kaul 1993, Palmer 2000, Datta and Saha 2001, Ranganath 2005, and mutations distorting the harmonious combination of the universality of male meiotic gene(s) may result in the non-development of functional pollen grains. The present communication describes an EMS-induced male sterile-female fertile mutant screened at M 2 and its progenies at M 3 of Uraria picta (Jacq.) DC. (Family-Leguminosae, Papillionoidae), an important herb in Ayurvedic medicine (Ayurvedic name: Prishni parni). The basic objective of the work is to study the expression of male sterility in re...

Uraria Picta (Jacq.): A Review on Ethnomedical Uses, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activities

“…Almost all parts of U. picta have therapeutic value and are used in the medical system of India to treat fatigue, oral ulcers, and various gynecological diseases [8,[13][14][15]. Echis carinatus is also known as an antiseptic to cure snake [3] and fractures [16].…”